Ronan is just awesome. And sometimes a terrifying gremlin. I can't believe how much he's grown in the last two weeks, and not just in size. Ronan has been coming to work with me everyday. I got a baby gate for my new office door so he is trapped, and, much like kids, if you exercise him enough he doesn't have enough energy to be that bad. He's managed not to get fired or to completely disrupt business. He's got the hang of walking on a leash (from watching the big dogs do it), and free-feeding. And potty training has been unbelievable - he asks to go out (even at night), and we're at about 3 accidents a week. That's right...not a day, a WEEK. That's my boy. Now we just really need to work on the biting.

Ronan also started his search and rescue training this week. I thought he was too young (9 weeks), but I went to the regular training (for some dogs that are between 1 and 2 years old), but the lady in charge said he could start that day. He did great. There are some pictures below of him and of one of the other dogs we're training - a malamute named Louie. At this point it's pretty basic:  Ro meets someone, sees that they have the treats (he is highly motivated by food), they run away and at the last minute hide behind a tree while he is watching, he'll smell a scent article belonging to that person, and then he goes and finds them and we all get VERY excited, and he gets a lot of treats. It's all a big game. And then the last time he might not get to watch, and has to follow his nose. This is all over a very short distance to start.

We've also been hanging out with my coworker Mandy and her 3 dogs some more. We've been going up to Snowy Range, the mountains west of Laramie, and letting the dogs romp. Ronan experienced his first snow up there this last weekend. He loved it. And he watches Mandy's dogs very closely to see what you're supposed to do. He also eats a lot of elk poop up there. There are pictures and videos of all this stuff below.

And as for me - aside from my life being entirely taken over by the tiny terror - work is going well. I'm working on some interesting analyses, and we're hiring some new help which will lighten the load. It's been nice having Clistie and her friends around. And I've signed up for an outdoor emergency care class with ski patrol, so my Thursday evenings and one day a weekend will be busy through the end of November. I'm really excited for it, and the skills will carry over to search and rescue and my job. Well anyway, enjoy the pictures and videos!

Some Search and Rescue training photos:

Ronan's first snow....and playing with the big dogs up at Snowy Range.

Ronan vs. The Stick

The puppy is finally here! August was a terribly busy month with work, but I got to do some neat analyses and even brought in my first client to the company. The month ended at least with a lovely 10-day vacation to Pittsburgh/Ohio, where I got to see many of my favorite people. While I was there I went and looked at some puppies, and decided to get one.

This is the little guy I picked. He's a German Shepherd, and after a long debate his name is Ronan (an Irish name). It just suits him once you get to know him. My sister Kelly flew him out last weekend, and she stayed most of the week. Overall he's very sweet, but as he's a puppy he also has a very mischievous side. He's a good mix of cautious and brave, person-oriented and independent. We've been lots of places, practiced going in the car (a lot), and met lots of people and lots of other dogs. We went to work Friday afternoon, and it went pretty well. And I get to move into my new office tomorrow, which will work much better for entrapping the beast when he isn't sleeping. It was great having Kelly here, too. We got to catch up, and she got to see where I live, where I work, and spend some time around Laramie. I took her to some of Laramie's one-of-a-kind restaurants, some of the local shops, and the former Wyoming Territorial Prison. She didn't get to see any of the landscape, though, as it rained all day, every day, while she was here. That's unheard of for Laramie. We didn't have quite the flooding that Denver got, but we got all the rain. Sometimes it's better to be closer to the top of the mountain than where all the water runs off. If Kelly's flight had been any later I don't think she would have made it out. Here's some more pictures and videos - the one with the ice cube is my favorite.

Ronan's first ice cube:

Ronan just loved chasing my nephew Kyan all over the house...